My family has been going to Kimchi Grandma for years and I remember that this is the spot we would frequent whenever we were craving legit Korean food. However, on my last visit to this establishment, the standards have dropped considerably, and sad to say, nothing on the menu tonight really stood out for me. The price was acceptable for Melbourne, service was okay, tho a little odd that we were served tea in a teapot a la Chinese restaurant style. The banchan came first and it was very basic: just some kimchi, mashed potatoes, bean sprouts and fish cakes. None of them tasted good! We ordered: + Hae-Mul pajeon: the pancake was not bad, a little soggy but it was packed with chunks of oysters and veggies, which I like. + Spicy squid: this was probably my favorite dish of the night. Delicious and fresh squid and the spiciness was on point. + Spicy pork: ugh, this tasted foul… pork had a weird smell and slimy texture. Skip! + Kalbi: not a fan of this kalbi. Again, slimy texture and if you can’t tell from the picture, there is puddle of water underneath the meat. Yuck~ + Dolsot bibimbap: quite yummy! The rice was on the mushier side, though. I did enjoy the sauce that it comes with tho… hella spicy! + Dae-ji galbi gui: huge slab of spicy pork ribs, but again with the porky smell. I think I’m going to avoid all porky dishes from this place from now on. + Jap Chae: delicious and flavors were on point. Overall, everything was just ok for me. This place can get super busy even on weekdays night, so reservation(esp for bigger groups) is recommended.
Feren Y.
Rating des Ortes: 4 Melbourne, Australia
Easy to book, Kimchi Grandma has generous servings for great prices! The restaurant is simply decorated and staff are on the run but you can expect fresh and crispy seafood pancakes, juicy chilli ribs and much more from here. On cold nights in Melbourne try out a hot pot stew… we got the kimchi tofu one and slurped the whole thing up. I went with 2 other friends and our bill was under $ 50.00 which we were really happy with and I will be back to visit soon.
Crystal V.
Rating des Ortes: 5 San Jose, CA
After a long day of shopping with close to nothing in our tummies, saying I was hungry is definitely an understatement, and food court food was not going to cut it for me. Kim Chi Grandma is one of my favorite restaurants! Don’t let the service throw you off because everything else about this place is amazing! House Marinated Galbi: I am so happy I convinced my cousin to get this instead of her usual chicken teriyaki. Definitely yummy and I’m not big on saucey, but man was it delicious! I let her enjoy most of this dish because she couldn’t eat the other spicy dishes I ordered. oops! Spicy Baby Octopus: There is something about babies that is so freaking delicious. It comes marinated in their house grandma spicy sauce, which I think that thing is like crack. I love this dish so much. The octopus is definitely reasonably chewy and isn’t tough. I wasnt a big fan of the zucchini in this dish because it tasted a bit too bitter for me. Kim Chi Fried Rice: Yummo! Definitely a good mix of everything and make sure you stir the egg into your fried rice. I love that this comes in a stone pot so it seems to have kept it warmer much longer. I didn’t really taste the pork in this dish, but regardless it was delicious. This place is super clean and spacious. They do take reservations and are reasonably priced. Their ban chan isn’t has generous as I’m used to from other places, but still good. The portions are very generous and I would recommend sharing so that way you can try a lot more dishes! Don’t let the rude staff get you down because the chefs of this place definitely know what they’re doing!
Jamie L.
Rating des Ortes: 4 Wheelers Hill, Australia
Good food for a good price
Ruth D.
Rating des Ortes: 5 Mountain View, CA
Great Korean food, big portions, attentive service, reasonable prices. The beef bulgogi was tender and well-seasoned(and there was tons of it!), the chap chae was perfect, and the pork in the kim chi stew was outstanding. We loved everything we ordered.
Daniel Z.
Rating des Ortes: 4 Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia
Kim Chi Grandma was the first Kim Chi restaurant in Melbourne. People come from all over the world to sample the Korean style pickled vegetables followed by perhaps some of the best Korean food that I have ever had. Some people don’t always know what to order when they go out to a restaurant, if this is you then get ready to impress your friends by ordering the following two dishes to share: Beef Bulgoki & Jap Chae. You better write those down just in case you forget. What a combination. I don’t want to give too much away, but you will always order these dishes from now on when you go out for Korean, unless of course you already have been.